Searching for Occupational Therapy Schools near Elizabethton, TN? Let us help you locate the best OTA program for you!

When youstart your search for Occupational therapy Assistant schools in Elizabethton, TN, you can expect toquicklysee that there has never been a better time for you toundertake a career as an OTA. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statisticspredicts jobs in this particularfield to expand by 43% over the 10 year period 2010-2020, this equates to over 12,000 new Occupational Therapy Assistant jobs! The better news is the fact that the averageOccupational Therapy Assistant wageis over $53,000 yearlymaking itamongst the best paying health carejobs that does not require a University Degree.

Occupational Therapy Schools in Elizabethton, TN

The first steptoward a career as an OTA is selecting the rightOccupational Therapy Training Program. There are currentlyjust about200 accredited occupational therapy schools in the United States and Puerto Rico and most of the schools accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) offer Occupational Therapist Assistant degrees and Master’s Degrees, with many also offering Doctoral degrees. Before you decide tojump in topick a school, make sure youexamine all of your optionsto makesureyou find an Occupational Therapy school that fits all your preferences.

Things YouShould ConsiderWhen Deciding On an Occupational Therapy School

Accreditation

Accreditation by the ACOTE is important because you will beassuredthat you willbe taught the full range oftechniquesrequired to bea competent OTA.

Curriculum

Occupational Therapy Assistants assist patients on a wide array ofhealth conditions and disorders making itcrucial that your training is very diversifiedand not too focused onone particulardiscipline.

Clinical Training

Another importantvariableto take under consideration is the clinical learning experience. This is thepractical training, itis whereyou actually interact with real patients and put your abilities to use. Some schools allocateconsiderably more time on your actual clinicalexperience in comparison withothers. In situations where your training program is not spendinga large amount of time with clinical training, make sure tofind out why.

Class Size

Another thing to consider is the class sizes. The size of your classmay vary greatly from college to college. Be sure to find out the class sizes at all the schools you are looking at. Bear in mind, the smaller the class size , the more one-on-one timethat you receive with theteachers.

Online Classes

Taking Occupational Therapy Classes Online do not work for each individual student. Yet, for many of us online training courses can easeseveral of the burdens of being a full time student. Jobs and family membersare sometimesdriven aside as students carry on their schooling and online classes can offersome flexibility to a busy life.

Graduation Rate

The finalitemyou might like tohave a look atprior to selecting an Occupational Therapy School is the rate of the schoolsyou are considering. Be sure you find out how many traineesfinish the program, what their assessments were, and exactly how many of them have gone on tobecome Occupational Therapists.

Recommended Occupational Therapy Schools in Elizabethton, TN

At South College we welcome students from all different stages of life and career. Whether you are pursing a degree for the first time, going back to school as an adult learner, or furthering your career with an advanced degree, our faculty and staff will partner with you to give your dreams direction.

Programs:

Northcentral University was founded in 1996 to provide working professionals around the world with unprecedented access to richly engaging, professionally relevant, and academically-rigorous education from a U.S. university.

As a regionally accredited, private, online and graduate-focused university, NCU offers doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in business, technology management, education, and psychology, as well as doctoral and master’s degrees in marriage and family therapy.

Programs:

The goal of Virginia College lies in its responsibility to its students, the technical and business communities, and the general citizenry. We have a long history of offering new direction to students.

Programs:

What to Expect in OTA School

In most cases the course work is approximatelytwo years, with the first year consisting of primarilyclass-roominstruction and with the second year spent doing hands on training in a hospital or private carepractice. Some of the course work a student will need to take involves pediatrics, gerontology, health careterminology, and physical rehabilitation. All States that require licensure just requirea 2 year degree. A Bachelor’s Degree will beneededif you plan on becoming a full Occupational Therapist, but you will find that almost all Occupational Therapist started their careers as Assistants and achieved their Bachelor’s Degrees several years later.

Licensing Information and Facts

Following graduation, those ready tostart their careers need to become certified as an OTA. Each State has its own rules and regulationsthat will be governed by an occupational therapy board, with a few being private and several run by the State exclusively. In Tennessee, licensing is administered by the Tennessee Board of Occupational Therapy & Physical Therapy Examiners. Althougheach State is unique, there are a number of requirements which are common among the majority of them and include the following.

Any individualattempting to get an occupational therapy assistant certificatemust be a U.S. citizen, needs to have a social security number and is required to have taken and completedacceptable college course work and also taken and passed the NBCOT exam.

Every State requires a federal background check , although convictions are not necessarilyautomatic grounds for dismissal. A number of States may consider processing an occupational therapist license in a case where a written affidavit is filed to clarify the circumstances of the conviction. Additional factors including time period and nature of the transgression may be reviewed and be considered to approve licensure .

Each State will have an Occupational Therapy Assistant licensing packetthat is going tocontain a number of forms to complete. Do notpurchase these forms from a third party as they can be accessed online from many trustworthysites. It is important to take a very in depth look through the forms before attempting to complete them. There will be official transcripts required; notarized signatures and many States will require you to include a fingerprint card that can be completed at a local police station.

Work Environment for Occupational Therapy Assistants

An OTA works with an assortment of patients who have needs that will bevery different the previous patient. You could beworking for an outpatient facility with young childrenthat have food or texture aversions or maybe a hospital rehabilitation facility working with a middle age woman with emotional struggles . Although an occupational therapy assistant hasa large number of job skills, some of the basics such as following direction, keeping up to date with the most updated techniques and learning and using the available technologyare extremely important. Finally, a COTA must also be reasonably physically fit, sincethere will be plenty of instances of shifting patients around, such as from a bed to a wheel chair.

If this looks like the career for you, then take a few minutes and visit the search form at the top of this page. You will be shown a list of training programs near Elizabethton, TN that offer Occupational Therapy Assistant classes. Request information from as many schools as you’d like, and good luck in your future career!

Occupational Therapy Schools in Elizabethton, TN reviewed by Austin BELL on June 12.

Very Helpful Site

Thank You for sharing such an informative website. I was able to get more info about the OTA schools in my area and chose one that worked for me. I’m now ready to start my classes and can’t wait to work as an Occupational Therapist.